The Brew Site
In my latest article for The Bulletin which came out on Sunday, I profile Craft Kitchen and Brewery, starting with a potato beer. The barrel-aged Sweet Potato Imperial India Nut Brown drew me in to the taproom in northeast Bend where I tasted several other beers and chatted with owner … Continue reading
News of even more brewery and cidery closures came down the wire this past week, even after the announcements of Lompoc, Bent Shovel’s tasting room, and Rock Bottom in Portland. First, Defeat River Brewery of Reedsport announced its imminent closure on Facebook: We are saddened to inform you that the … Continue reading
For the past several months, Monkless Belgian Ales has been hard at work renovating a restaurant and pub space to open its Monkless Brasserie, and this week the brewery held a soft opening for lunch and dinner. Up until now Monkless has only operated a small tasting room out of … Continue reading
Happy Halloween! To celebrate the holiday I’m posting the first of several in-depth reviews of pumpkin beers (and cider), with details about the beers and some extra Q&A with the brewers. Sort of a “Pumpkin Beer Project” for the season—and no, pumpkin beer season doesn’t end with Halloween. First up, … Continue reading
Right on the heels of the news that Portland’s Lompoc Brewing is closing after 23 years in business, there are two more closures to report on. The day after the Lompoc announcement, Bent Shovel Brewing of Oregon City announced the closing of its tasting room and patio—but the good news … Continue reading
My latest article for The Bulletin is all about hops—specifically, the harvest and hop selection that takes place each year, focusing on Yakima, Washington. The backstory: I was recently invited on a media trip to the Yakima Valley to explore the hop, beer, and tourism culture for a long weekend, … Continue reading
Well this is terrible news: Lompoc Brewing announced today that the brewery, open for 23 years, is closing its doors. Perhaps it was foreseeable given that the Hedge House closed two years ago, and then the Lompoc Tavern on NW 23rd closed last year, but it’s still a huge loss. … Continue reading
Arrived this week: Deschutes Brewery Jubelale and Chasin’ Freshies Fresh Hop IPA for 2019. The artist for Jubelale’s label this year is Bend’s Mark Rada; here’s some detail from the press release: This year’s packaging was created by local Bend, Oregon artist Mark Rada. Mark pulls inspiration from the outdoors, … Continue reading
Among all the various craft beer trends over the past several years, one of my favorites is the rising prevalence of lagers. Heater Allen Brewing deserves much credit for being an early pioneer in “craft lager” and it’s great to see many more options these days from breweries like Zoiglhaus, … Continue reading
My latest article for The Bulletin dropped on Sunday: Stouts to try this fall. (The print version headline is how stout is the comfort food of beer.) Yes, fall is also fresh hop season, and pumpkin beer season, but a good, no-frills stout is a great beer this time of … Continue reading